Chemical oxygen generators generate oxygen by way of a chemical reaction and are used in a variety of applications and industries, including but not limited to aircraft, breathing apparatus for firefighters and mine rescue crews and the like, submarines, and any application where a compact emergency oxygen generator is needed. In some cases, the chemical oxygen generator generates oxygen by burning a chemical oxygen core. As the core ignites, the powder or other substance inside the core burns, turns to liquid and then re-solidifies. In this way, the burning core includes a solid, unspent core at a distal end, a re-solidified spent core at the proximal end, and a molten burn front in between the two ends. The molten portion of the core is of low structural integrity and thus is susceptible to damage when exposed to vibration or other forces during operation.
Attempts have been made to maintain the integrity of the chemical oxygen generator during operation and vibration by externally packaging the core, for example by wrapping the core in an external stainless mesh wrap, and/or by thermally insulating the core. However, these approaches limit the composition of the core to a subset of usable chemicals based on their mechanical properties and also add cost and weight.